Eavesdropping

Ok... A little something you might not know about me: I am an eavesdropper.  I LOVE to listen in on other people's conversations, and I am not ashamed of it.  *I am a good secret-keeper and a very trustworthy friend; but, if you are in a public place, and you are speaking loudly enough that I can hear you at another table/bench/etc.  I consider your conversation fair game... I like to think this is the "writer" in me.  Go with it.

Now that that is out of the way...
This Sunday was the perfect rainy afternoon, so after church and a plethora of meetings, Jeff and I took advantage of the opportunity to sit in our favorite coffee shop and consume excessive amounts of hot caffeine.  Little did I know when I settled down with my java and lesson plans, what a "show" I was in for two tables over.  (Cara, if you read this, I couldn't hear what you and your sis were talking about - no worries!)

In all my eavesdropping experience, I have never had someone make it SO easy for me to follow their discussion.  This woman - who, according to my calculations, was counseling a friend about a bad relationship and seeking advice on her own latest rendevous with a 43 year old man in Texas - literally laid out her entire life story in a tidy little timeline.  I learned ALL about her first marriage and divorce, raising three kids under the age of four, parenting teenagers, and adult-dating.  In fact, by the time she left, I had enough information that I could actually pull up pictures of her and her family on my Facebook account to show Jeff a slide-show as I summarized my "investigative findings."  It was glorious!! (Stalkerish, yes, but glorious all the same!)

Jeff, as you might have guessed, is VERY unsupportive of this hobby.  Personally, I think he is just jealous because his hearing isn't as good as mine and sometimes he can't follow what I am saying to him, much less another conversation; but, I digress.  Typically, I am quite good at managing basic small-talk with him while listening in on others (that's the magical teacher trait), but sometimes he does have to yell at me to stop craning my neck, staring, zoning out, etc.  I guess I can imagine how this would be embarrassing for him. Also, in his defense, sometimes I get entirely too wrapped up in the sagas around me.  For example, once, in a Chinese restaurant, I was CONVINCED that the couple in the booth behind us was breaking up.  I was very distraught all through dinner and even suggested that Jeff and I pray for them.  In the end, I realized they were simply discussing whether or not they should move to a house with no stairs as they aged.  I think I watch too much TV.

Anyway, I'm wondering... Does anyone else eavesdrop? If not, I highly recommend it. But, I do suggest you enlist a "monitor" - like Jeff is for me - to keep you from going too far.  (*Facebook stalking may be going too far, I admit.)  I'd LOVE to hear how your first attempts go!

And, to those skeptics out there that are judging me right now... Consider this a warning to you the next time  you share your deepest darkest secrets with only your closest friend at a public coffee shop.  Look, I'm just trying to help out greater mankind one piece of advice at a time. -E